London – Portobello Road Market Notting Hill

Julia Roberts has a lot to answer for. In the sixties, Notting Hill has a reputation for being a centre of racial conflict, riots and general bad vibes. After her winsome smile captivated the world in the movie “Notting Hill”, the suburb in western London has become a hot spot. It’s undergone a massive housing boom, a huge influx of the upwardly mobile and a general exodus of the people who made the suburb what it was. Good or bad, it’s a different place now. At the centre of the suburb, sits the Portobello Road Market.


During the week, Portobello Road is a fairly sedate place. It’s full of funky boutiques, lots of antique shops and a few locals mixing with the odd tourists. There are street stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, along with the occasion street food vendor. Come Saturday morning, however this changes. Saturday morning is home of the “proper” Portobello Road market.

This is the market that attracts the swarms of American, Spanish and Italian tourists. For many, Portobello Road market is the quintessential London market. The street is lined with stall holders selling all manner of weird stuff. The road has a reputation as being a great place to buy authentic English antiques. Sure, there’s lots of stalls selling real Royal Doulton and real silver items, but there’s an equal number of stalls selling faux antiques. This is what he tourists seem to really love. Where else in the world would you go to buy a magnifying glass with a handle made from a deer antler? These seem to be pretty popular by the crows gathered around.



On one side of the street market, is a labyrinth of small shops. These are the stalls that are here during the week. They house the proper antique merchants. During the weekend, however, they’re mainly empty. The tourists don’t want a real antique plate for two hundred quid. They want the 1982 plate featuring Princess Diana for a tenner.

If the crowds don’t deter you, by the time you get to the bottom of the hill, you come across the more bohemian section of the market. Here, the faux antique goods are replaced by the food vendors. Some of these are pretty amazing. All manner of delicious smelling foods are for sale here. There’s any number of delicious baked good stalls, as well as a lot of the traditional fruit and veg stalls. Best of all, however, are the hot food vendors. They sell amazing paella, sausages, steaks and various hot yummy dishes. For me, this is the reason to come to Portobello Road market – some relatively cheap, hot, delicious food.

Just one street over from Portobello Road market is the much more sedate, much more higher class Westbourne Terrace. This street is lined with very fancy fashion shops, jewellery stores and the odd candle shop. It does not get nearly the same amount of traffic as the nearby market, but it’s still worth a visit to look into the gorgeous windows of the posh shops.

As a tourist destination, Portobello Road lives up to its reputation. It’s a fun place to check out some local products, have a bite to eat and people watch. Just watch out for the crowds. 11am on a Saturday morning is absolutely manic. That’s kind of the point though. Go too early or too late and you miss the vibe. IT also gives you a chance to look out for Hugh Grant. I’m sure he’s around there somewhere...